STANDARDIZATION, EDUCATION CITED AS ESSENTIAL IN ADVANCING ROLE OF ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES

National Consortium report provides blueprint to ensure all Americans have access to quality health care

Philadelphia, PA – November 6, 2014 – The National Nursing Centers Consortium (NNCC), an affiliate of Public Health Management Corporation and a nonprofit organization that advances nurse-led healthcare globally, today released a report, "The Future of Nursing," which provides recommendations for transforming the field of nursing, in particular the role of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN), in order to ensure quality health care access to all.

Recommendations include 1) standardizing the definition of the APN role; 2) improving the educational curriculum for APNs, while respecting each country's unique cultural and political context; 3) increasing access to primary and preventive health care services by removing policy barriers that prevent APNs from practicing to the full extent of their education and training; 4) reforming healthcare funding mechanisms to allow for APN-based practice models; and 5) continuing the collection of data and sharing of information on APN quality and outcomes in a variety of countries/settings.

The findings for the report came out of the 2014 Global Advanced Practice Nursing Symposium, a two-day event sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and jointly convened by NNCC, the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, the Office of the Chief Nurse in Queensland, Australia, and AARP International. Over 30 individuals representing ten countries and six continents attended the symposium, with the goal of sharing best practices for developing and utilizing APNs that can be scaled to expand access to quality healthcare globally. Following the event, an international working group of nurses and health policy leaders collaborated with NNCC on the white paper which includes recommendations for global leaders and policymakers that are flexible enough to be applied in diverse locations and settings.

"The Foundation understands that APNs are essential partners in improving health and healthcare," said Sue Hassmiller, Senior Advisor for Nursing, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "The Future of Nursing report provides a blueprint for transforming nursing to ensure that all Americans have access to quality health care. Expanding that discussion to a global level acknowledges that there is so much we can learn from the experiences of other countries."

"One of the key barriers to expanding the role of APNs is the existence of a culture that has not yet acknowledged the ability of skilled nurses to provide care," said Frances Hughes, Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer, Queensland Department of Health. "By incorporating these recommendations into practice, we can ensure that nurses can treat patients based on a more broad definition of health around the world due to the standardization of their education."

An international coalition of stakeholders will work together to disseminate and implement the white paper's recommendations. It will be shared with nursing organizations, health policy leaders and nurse educators throughout the world and will be presented at upcoming international conferences and meetings.

Julie Fairman, Professor of Nursing, The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, explains "our main mission is to improve the public's health, and advanced practice nurses are a key way of moving that agenda forward."

"The role of advanced practice nurses is growing worldwide. We recognized the need to create a dialogue about how different countries are developing and utilizing APNs to improve access to care for their citizens. Sharing best practices and learning form the challenges and experiences of other countries helps further our goals of increasing access to high-quality healthcare worldwide," says Tine Hansen-Turton, Chief Executive Officer of NNCC. She adds, "This white paper is just the beginning and will enable continued collaboration to advance the role of advanced practice nursing across the globe."

Additional information regarding the findings and recommendations from the symposium and the full white paper can be found on NNCC's website at www.nncc.us. A short video of highlights from the symposium is also available for viewing online.

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